Helpful Score: 3
Plenty of stories packed into this book! And, you get the full spectrum of paranormal romance - from werewolves and vampires to ghosts and witchcraft. I enjoyed the variety. As with any compilation, some stories are great, some you'll just want to pass over. A few stories felt rushed, as if the author didn't spend the time on it that she should have. All in all, it's a well done book - 24 stories in all. If you're like me, you'll discover a couple gems and find a new author or two to follow.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed the stories! Some were good enough that I'm looking for more from the author. At the very least, they were well written with only a couple dropping to mediocre...I really appreciate the editors choosing writers that can actually write! So, details...
The Temptation of Robin Green by Carrie Vaughn
Good. A little choppy and unrealistic. Somewhat unfinished; ending abrupt.
Interesting concept could be expanded.
Succubbus Seduction by Cheyanne McCray
Very Good. I liked this one, but again an abrupt ending.
Paranormal Romance Blues by Kelley Armstrong
Too complicated for a short...was hard to follow.
John Doe by Anna Windsor
Very Good. I liked this one, but again an abrupt ending. A lot of these have
great build up, but then jump around at the end, just to finish off, which is a
shame. This should be developed into a full length book!
Taking Hold by Anya Bast
Good. Not quite as interesting to me, but was more complete in the story.
How to Date a Superhero by Jean Johnson
Okay. Found the whole thing rather awkward. More like an intro.
Daniel by CT Adams and Cathy Clamp
Very Good. Felt like a complete story.
Light Through Fog by Holly Lisle
Great. I really connected with this one, though it's very light on the para (not
even sure I'd call it that at all). One of my favs.
The Tuesday Enchantress by Mary Jo Putney
Very Good. A little abrupt, but decent, with lots of potential for more.
Trinity Blue by Eve Silver
Good. Some things were not in enough depth to really complete the story, which was
a good one and I would have rated higher if there was more depth. At least the
ending made sense.
Grace of Small Magics by Ilona Andrews
Great. Definitely one of the best. Complete, well written, interesting...would
love to read more!
Once a Demon by Dina James
Good. Lots of potential and some very interesting...but just didn't come together
and ending was awful.
Night Vision by Maria V. Snyder
Very Good. No real critique; it's a good story, with an interesting para.
Pele's Tears by Catherine Mulvany
Okay. Just didn't do anything for me.
Pack by Jeaniene Frost
Very Good. A little predictable.
When Gargoyles Fly by Lori Devoti
Very Good. Would read more...even though she did a pat ending, it fit okay.
The Lighthouse Keeper and His Wife by Sara Mackenzie
Good. A little choppy, but gave it the benefit of the doubt.
Blood Song by Lynda Hilburn
Great. Well, it had some unique elements that I really liked a lot!
The Princess and the Peas by Alyssa Day
Good. An attempt at humor. It wasn't as good as I'd expect from her though.
At Second Bite by Michelle Rowan
Good. Maybe VG... It was cute.
Blue Crush by Roxanne Conrad
Very Good. A complete story with lots of potential.
The Wager by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Okay. Blegh...
In Sheep's Clothing by Meljean Brook
Very Good. Nothing jumps out...typical shifter romance.
The Dream Catcher by Allyson James
Very Good. Almost Great. Really liked the concept of the Dream Catchers (not so
much on the emotionless desert folk) and would like to read more.
So, overall, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you are looking for short quick reads!
The Temptation of Robin Green by Carrie Vaughn
Good. A little choppy and unrealistic. Somewhat unfinished; ending abrupt.
Interesting concept could be expanded.
Succubbus Seduction by Cheyanne McCray
Very Good. I liked this one, but again an abrupt ending.
Paranormal Romance Blues by Kelley Armstrong
Too complicated for a short...was hard to follow.
John Doe by Anna Windsor
Very Good. I liked this one, but again an abrupt ending. A lot of these have
great build up, but then jump around at the end, just to finish off, which is a
shame. This should be developed into a full length book!
Taking Hold by Anya Bast
Good. Not quite as interesting to me, but was more complete in the story.
How to Date a Superhero by Jean Johnson
Okay. Found the whole thing rather awkward. More like an intro.
Daniel by CT Adams and Cathy Clamp
Very Good. Felt like a complete story.
Light Through Fog by Holly Lisle
Great. I really connected with this one, though it's very light on the para (not
even sure I'd call it that at all). One of my favs.
The Tuesday Enchantress by Mary Jo Putney
Very Good. A little abrupt, but decent, with lots of potential for more.
Trinity Blue by Eve Silver
Good. Some things were not in enough depth to really complete the story, which was
a good one and I would have rated higher if there was more depth. At least the
ending made sense.
Grace of Small Magics by Ilona Andrews
Great. Definitely one of the best. Complete, well written, interesting...would
love to read more!
Once a Demon by Dina James
Good. Lots of potential and some very interesting...but just didn't come together
and ending was awful.
Night Vision by Maria V. Snyder
Very Good. No real critique; it's a good story, with an interesting para.
Pele's Tears by Catherine Mulvany
Okay. Just didn't do anything for me.
Pack by Jeaniene Frost
Very Good. A little predictable.
When Gargoyles Fly by Lori Devoti
Very Good. Would read more...even though she did a pat ending, it fit okay.
The Lighthouse Keeper and His Wife by Sara Mackenzie
Good. A little choppy, but gave it the benefit of the doubt.
Blood Song by Lynda Hilburn
Great. Well, it had some unique elements that I really liked a lot!
The Princess and the Peas by Alyssa Day
Good. An attempt at humor. It wasn't as good as I'd expect from her though.
At Second Bite by Michelle Rowan
Good. Maybe VG... It was cute.
Blue Crush by Roxanne Conrad
Very Good. A complete story with lots of potential.
The Wager by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Okay. Blegh...
In Sheep's Clothing by Meljean Brook
Very Good. Nothing jumps out...typical shifter romance.
The Dream Catcher by Allyson James
Very Good. Almost Great. Really liked the concept of the Dream Catchers (not so
much on the emotionless desert folk) and would like to read more.
So, overall, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you are looking for short quick reads!
Helpful Score: 2
If you enjoy well written short stories with varied, interesting characters, The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance is for you. The only problem I found was that upon conclusion of reading many of the tales I had a "Is that all there is?" feeling and wanted to read more. TMBOPR is a great introduction to authors whose works you may not have read before. I now have a new list of writers I enjoy and I will try to find some books written by them.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. Alot of times when you get books that have short stories you can like them all or sometimes you will get ones that are just awful. Out of the 24 stories in this book I enjoyed almost all of them. There were only a few that were just awful. Most were decent and several were great. Alot of them I wished had been full books. It was like reading chapter 1 and having it end. All in all very worth the read.
Christine H. (solarawynn) reviewed The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance on + 724 more book reviews
Read and enjoyed every story.was worth the wait
this book has 24 short stories. some of them had potential, and only a handful were good enough for their own "stand alone book", if more "fleshed out" if you know what i mean. i was one the wish list at #279! so, i went to the library,and got it there.(they ordered it for me). so just to say, out of 5 stars this is only worth 2 1/2 if that. i was let down on this collection-bummer. you know if it does not hold your attention, when you are reading other books in between! on to the next book!
glenna
glenna
Amazing variety but somewhat lacking in quality.
I am not going to do a review of every story in this book or even list them for that matter, just too many. Just know that most stories are around 20 pages long, although some of the more popular authors stories could be anywhere up to 40 pages.
Most of the stories were just meh to ok though thankfully there were a few fantastic additions like Ilona Andrews 'Grace of Small Magics' and Jeaniene Frost's 'Pack'.
Who knows maybe I am just not the right person to be reading stories this short. I do enjoy other anthologies which are usually only 4 authors, but my issue with these is that they are just too short. As the reader you are not really given the time to connect with the characters, come to care about them, or understand their actions. This does somewhat explain too why I enjoyed the longer stories much more than the others.
Towards the end I ended up skimming quite a bit, especially when I felt the stories fell flat and there was only 2 that I skipped entirely.
All in all I think anyone who reads it will have some favorite stories, but they will have to wade through a bunch of unsatisfactory story lines to find them.
I am not going to do a review of every story in this book or even list them for that matter, just too many. Just know that most stories are around 20 pages long, although some of the more popular authors stories could be anywhere up to 40 pages.
Most of the stories were just meh to ok though thankfully there were a few fantastic additions like Ilona Andrews 'Grace of Small Magics' and Jeaniene Frost's 'Pack'.
Who knows maybe I am just not the right person to be reading stories this short. I do enjoy other anthologies which are usually only 4 authors, but my issue with these is that they are just too short. As the reader you are not really given the time to connect with the characters, come to care about them, or understand their actions. This does somewhat explain too why I enjoyed the longer stories much more than the others.
Towards the end I ended up skimming quite a bit, especially when I felt the stories fell flat and there was only 2 that I skipped entirely.
All in all I think anyone who reads it will have some favorite stories, but they will have to wade through a bunch of unsatisfactory story lines to find them.
loved it!! :-)
There are a few great stories in here (Ilona Andrews and Eve Silver were my favorites) but many are just so-so.
great read
